


Until the Very End

by ObscureReality (Khellamendra)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Time Blow Jobs, M/M, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Semi-Public Sex, Tail Sex, dragon!Gyro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:15:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29856570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khellamendra/pseuds/ObscureReality
Summary: The group has been through more than a few adventures together, growing closer as they help each other and Aurita. Block knows his best friend Pike has more than a passing interest in a certain oblivious paladin. Something the thief vehemently denies. When Gyro and Meklavar get an important lead on their respective quests that’s too important to pass up, Pike knows he has to make a decision. It’s a no-brainer, after all the treasure is obviously going to be better if he follows the paladin and with fewer people to have to split it with.After a run-in with a wizard from the Order of Leviathan, Gyro is slowly turning into a dragon. If the transformation is complete he risks being controlled by the Order and losing himself. Pike will do everything he can to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Relationships: Gyro/Pike, Lance/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

No one would ever say Pike was an honest man, not even Pike himself. It wasn’t his fault that people were just so easy to get one over on. He was also pretty sure it was okay to feel proud for swindling an entire town. After all, how many people could say that? At least one very happy feline could but beyond that? Well, only one other person could and the look of pride on his face when Pike had returned with his haul had felt _good_. 

That was almost like a whole lifetime ago. If any of his guild members saw him there would be more than a few questions. After all, this party was far too trusting and way too nice, and yet, he was still here. He shouldn’t get attached, that was the number one rule. You run the gig and then as soon as you can, take what you want and never look back. Gyro was by far the worst one and his naive nature should have made him the ideal target. It did make him the ideal target but the paladin was just so damn nice.

Also strong and maybe just a little handsome. 

Okay, Pike could at least admit in the privacy of his own head that Gyro was very handsome. Someone would have to be blind not to see it and even then he wouldn’t be surprised if they could still see it. Either way, there was no harm in looking. As long as he remembered this was not permanent it was okay. Not like a paladin would never stoop to being with a thief for any reason anyway. Not that he wanted anything beyond a little relief, that was just silly. He just needed a little time to himself so he could focus again and reevaluate his life choices.

Meklavar sighed, shouldering the ax. “We’ve been traveling for a while but we don’t have any leads on any of our quests.”

“I’m sorry guys you all helped me,” Block said, “but we haven’t found anything since.”

“Just your typical fetch requests.” Pike shrugged. “Which was still a decent amount of coin but not exactly exciting. There has to be a really big score like when we fought that dragon right?”

“The bigger the quest, the better the reward tends to be,” Meklavar said. “But those aren’t very common. After all, that _was_ related to helping Block’s village. Unless we get some kind of lead on our quests, we might just be stuck for a while.” 

Pike groaned. “I do not want to spend more time hunting down herbs for some apprentice to use for their school project. Oh, I have an idea!” Ignoring their shouts, he ran ahead. Stopping, he turned with a grin, hands on his hips as he waited for the others. “I knew it, I’ve been in this area before.”

“When have you been here?” Block asked.

“So there are two villages, one in each direction as you can see from the signpost,” Pike continued, pointing to the arrows carved into the wood. “The thing is, we could only really hit up one before we would need to set up camp.” 

Block leaned against his staff, looking at the signpost. “Couldn’t we just stay at one of the villages?”

The rogue rubbed the back of his head. “It’s been a while since I’ve been through here but they were pretty small. Live off the land kinda people. There’s a major port city a good way away on the other side so they get traders coming through.” Pulling out a map, he rubbed his chin. “Last time I stayed in some kind of building.” Holding the map up, he pointed to it. ”It was damaged during the war but it was still super sturdy. Enough of it should still be intact even after all this time to keep us out of the weather.” 

“That settles it then,” Gyro spoke up. “If we split up then we can check both villages and make sure camp is ready before nightfall. Maybe we’ll find something that will be helpful and if not then maybe we can help the villagers if they need it.” Pike resisted rolling his eyes. Of course, a paladin would say that. “I can check out this structure and make sure it’s still standing. Would anyone like to come with me?” 

Folding the map, he glanced at Block who was trying to signal the other with his eyes. The rogue ignored the blatant display and stayed silent. Pike’s tail twitched, pretending that brown eyes weren’t looking in his direction, feeling his resolve start to waiver. It wasn’t the most exciting task but he would be alone with...no that was the last thing he needed to do. The paladin probably wanted to continue that stupid lecture he had given earlier after Pike accidentally activated a trap. He would have seen if he hadn’t been so eager to be the first one to get his hands on a treasure chest. 

Pike frowned. That was all he needed to help make up his mind. Of course, he had wanted it first, he was a thief, that was what they did. The treasure was all that mattered, all he could count on.

“Oh...I'll go with you Gyro if you’d like?” Valayun offered. 

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll head over to the east village, see if it’s just like I remember.” He definitely needed to get away. Jumping into a tree, he ignored Block’s voice. Moving from branch to branch, he kept going until he could barely hear their voices and there were only the sounds of the forest. 

Landing on another branch, ears perked up, catching the sound of voices floating up through the trees. Pulling out his daggers, he crept along, careful not to disturb the leaves. Peering through the foliage, Pike found himself looking at a quaint little village just down the hill. Set within the heart of the forest a river ran along it, spinning the large water wheel as it flowed through. A couple of villagers sat on a pier with fishing rods, talking to one another while a child helped their mother hang some laundry on a line. Moving closer his nose caught the smell of food coming from a couple of guards that sat just outside the gate, sharing a meal and laughing. The place felt very peaceful, happy, and...boring. 

This village was bigger than the one he had visited the last time he passed through. Still, a peaceful place meant fewer guards and ones that weren’t used to actually catching much of anything except small game and maybe the occasional monster. Sheathing the blades, Pike grinned. If he was lucky they might even actually have a store.

Backtracking he slipped out of the trees and walked casually up to the gate. It took the guards an embarrassing amount of time to notice he was there and when they did, they gave him a suspicious look but didn’t pursue it. Walking past the pair, he took note of the pointed ears much like the ones Valayun had. The citizens were a bit more curious and he got more than one child asking far too many questions and wanting his attention. It was cute but annoying, as children often were in his opinion. Everything was exactly as expected, boring. No store but there was an old barn that had been turned into a little tavern. It didn’t have any interesting information or even good gossip. Apparently, the most scandalizing thing that ever happened was when goblins ran off with some laundry. 

With the sun high in the sky, Pike idly scratched the wooden table with nails, contemplating if it was worth it to come back tonight and snatch as much stuff as possible. 

“Wow, this place is nice.” 

Jumping up, Pike winced when his tankard hit the ground with a loud clatter. “Block? When did you get here?” 

“Not too long after you did, at least according to the guards. They are super nice, actually, everyone here is. Do you mind if I use this?” He asked the elven man, gesturing towards the small bench. The man shook his head, staring in awe at the mage who flashed him a smile. “Thanks.” Pulling it up to Pike’s table he sat down. “Anyway, originally I was going to help Meklavar with the other village but then I remembered I needed to give you this.” Pulling out a small bag, he tossed it to the rogue. “It’s your part of the reward, for when we helped that count. Plus, we need to talk.”

Pike shifted the bag in his hand, mentally debating over how much was inside. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t me.” He stated, shaking the bag. Glaring at the room, the patrons quickly turned around. Ears perked up at a sound that was definitely more than just coins. Grinning, he tugged at the drawstrings and sifted through the contents. The mage cleared his throat. 

“This isn’t about whether or not you were the one that took the sweet roll that I saw you eying it. Though if it was you just know I am very disappointed that you didn’t just ask.” Pike rolled his eyes, plopping down on the bench. 

“For the last time, I wasn’t the one that-”

“This is about Gyro.” 

Pike paused, ears twitching. Something about the way the mage said it made him uncomfortable. He cast a wary look at the other man. “What about him?” Ears flattened at the knowing look. Scowling he turned back to the bag, digging through it once more. There were a few pieces of jewelry but all of a sudden he wasn’t as excited as before. “Look-”

“I know what you’re going to say.” the mage interrupted. “Mostly. Kind of? I have an idea-”

“Block-”

“I know you’re interested in him and I also know that you don’t have a problem speaking your mind. What I don’t know is why you haven’t said anything.” Pulling out a ring, the rogue shifted it between fingers, remaining silent. “It’s been almost a whole year since we became a party and started this journey together,” Block continued “Isn’t it time to let the walls down?”

_“Pike, if nothing else sticks with you, remember this. Never get attached. The only happy endings thieves like us get are the ones we steal and kill for and the only person you can trust in this world is yourself.”_

“Block I-”

A tremor shook the ground sending a flock of birds into the air and sending a hush over the room. “What was that?” Block asked, clutching his staff. Standing up, Pike dropped the ring into the pouch and tied it off. Cries rang out as the ground shook again.

“Nothing good,” Pike muttered, nose twitching. “Look!” Pointing out the doors, several people ran out of the trees towards the safety of the village, shouting. A woman ran into the tavern, several of the villagers rushing to her aid. “What happened?” The rogue asked as a man hugged the shaking woman. 

“A monster!” She gestured toward the trees. “Near the old watchtower. A paladin saved us.” 

The pair shared a look and nodded, running out of the barn. Jumping into the trees, Pike sucked air through his teeth, swallowing down a curse. Ears perked up at the sound of a loud crash and he had to stop, digging nails into the wood as everything shook again. Fur on end he pushed off and kept going, landing on the next branch, and catching up to Block. “Where did that thing come from?” 

A giant serpent was coiled around a thick broken trunk. Even wrapped as it was, the beast was taller than any of the buildings Pike had seen in the village. Meklavar swung at the beast, trying to keep its attention away from the splintered remains of the top. From his perch, he could see white and pink among the fallen leaves and branches. Blue eyes watched as the paladin slipped behind the creature, heading straight for Valayun. The serpent immediately looked towards the rogue, opening massive jaws. Catching a movement out of the corner of its eye, it turned. Drawing up to its full height, the paladin paused as a shadow fell over him. Rearing back to strike, it instead gave a sharp cry, writhing in pain. Looking up, brown met blue and he smiled, giving a thumbs-up before running towards the archer. Block hoofed it over to the dwarf as she readied her ax again. 

“Glad you two could join us and to answer your question that almost got you killed, why don’t you tell us? You’re the one that said we should camp here.” She snapped. 

"It wasn't here last time!" Pike countered. 

“We can argue later. Right now we need to focus on the target.” Gyro said firmly, shouldering Valayun. 

Pike grinned, pulling out another dagger. "Don't worry I got this. You guys just relax." 

Gyro called after him but the rogue never slowed down. "Block! Meklavar! Assist Pike while I take care of Valayun." The elf groaned softly and leaned into him as she started to come too. "Easy, I've got you." Holding onto her, he moved just as the snake crashed into the tree behind them. He tensed, all but dragging her as he waited for that weight to come crashing into his back next. Glancing back, he watched Block smack it in the face with a fireball. Gyro set the elf down, removing her arm from his shoulder. Focusing, the paladin wiped the back of his hand over his forehead and muttered a few words, feeling the tingling warmth building. Pushing aside everything else, he laid a hand on the archer’s shoulder, redirecting the energy. Letting her go, she opened, her eyes. 

Brows furrowed, she brushed platinum strands from her face and shook her head. "Thank you for the assistance, Gyro." 

"I had a clear shot and you ruined it!" Meklavar yelled. 

"Stop being so slow then!" Pike snapped. 

Slowly getting to her feet, she pulled out her bow. “I suppose we had better help them since they seem more interested in fighting each other than the snake,” she said dryly. Letting loose an arrow, it found its mark just as the snake was about to strike Block. The mage flashed her a thumbs up and a relieved smile. It was short-lived before the snake was back to chasing him as he yelled for his teammates. That finally seemed to get the pair’s attention and they rushed to help. “How nice of you to finally join the battle,” Valayun said, letting loose another arrow. Pike opened his mouth to defend himself but the branch he had been on was suddenly gone and he was left with nothing but air. He thought he heard a shout from someone but wasn’t sure, hands desperately reached out to grasp something, anything but claws just glanced off the wood. 

Hitting the ground, it knocked the wind out of him, and his arm throbbed. Taking in several deep breaths, he slowly sat up with a groan. Carefully he moved it, hissing slightly at the pain. It wasn’t broken, he knew what that felt like but it still hurt to move. Holding it close to his body, the rogue got to his knees, feeling the ground shaking beneath him every time the snake moved. Placing a hand against the tree he stopped, eyes catching the glint of something in the sun. His hand went to his belt, feeling for the bag Block had given him. Fingers found the ends of the snapped string and he almost wanted to scream. Standing on shaking knees he stumbled towards it. His knees protested when they met the hard ground but he didn’t care.

“Pike what are you doing?” 

Ignoring Block, he reached for the bag. Grabbing it, he fumbled to reattach it with just one shaky hand. He could feel the rumbling under his knees and hear the hiss of the snake and the battle around him. They could handle it, everything would be fine. The treasure was what really mattered. That’s what he told himself as he frantically picked up the pieces that had fallen. Reaching for a ring, he paused as a large shadow fell over him. Looking up, ears went back at the face of the snake towering over him. A mouth opened and revealed sharp fangs just before they came at him.

“Shield of faith!” 

A shimmering bubble surrounded the rogue just in time to prevent fangs from connecting with a face. The bubble burst, throwing the monster back into what was left of the tower. The large constrictor snake shook bits of stone away and drew itself up, hissing at them. Wide blue eyes met gray, holding the gaze for a moment before Pike broke it. Shakily standing up, the rogue brushed the dirt off this clothing, hoping his movements didn’t betray the emotions rolling through his brain. “Yeah well, the feeling is mutual!” He snapped, rolling out of the way as a tail smacked pieces of the wall in their direction. Ears flattened at the sound of wood breaking, fur on end.

“It might not be a good idea to antagonize it.” Gyro pointed out, brushing leaves and small branches out of his hair. 

“Just because it’s much bigger than I am, doesn’t mean I can’t still be irritated. I just wanted to relax!” Pike shot back, twirling the dagger restlessly in his hand as his own tail swished back and forth. 

“You were the one that wanted to come on this journey,” Meklavar said.

The rogue grumbled something under his breath, words muffled by the dagger. Pulling out a few small knives, he threw them with one hand. They missed but it was enough that the snake hesitated in its attempt to snap at Gyro and gave him a chance to sheath it. Sucking in a deep breath, he pushed everything aside, burying it to be unpacked at a later date. Preferably when he was alone. He put on a carefree smile. “Yeah, but how could I miss out on this chance? There’s probably a whole bunch of treasure on this path and you know I can’t say no to that. Besides, where would you guys be without me?” Pike asked, tossing a couple more, the blades finding their way into a soft body. “Hah see? Woah-!” The snake rushed him but the paladin lunged forward and slashed upward. The shortsword just missed, coming up again to meet fangs. Gyro grunted under the weight, feeling knees buckle. 

“Your love of treasure is going to end up hurting someone or yourself. We are strongest when we work together and you are worth more than trinkets,” he said, eying Pike’s arm. Suddenly the weight was gone and Gyro was thrown off balance. Heavy paladin armor dragged him backward and he braced himself. The impact was softer and firmer than the ground normally was. It was a moment too late to stop the creature from wrapping itself around him. Almost immediately the air was squeezed out of him, limbs getting weak. His sword and shield clattered to the floor, limbs starting to tingle and feel heavy. Eyes frantically searched the clearing for his companion but there was nothing. Only the sound of hissing that felt so far away even as the shadow loomed over him. Gyro opened his mouth, a choked gasp escaping but he couldn’t get any air. He fought down panic, darkness tainting his vision as ears started ringing. A chest burned, begging for air he couldn’t get. As the darkness closed in, he only hoped by the time the creature was finished with him that Pike had gotten enough of a head start.

Falling forward, his face hit hard ground, the smell of grass filling his nose. Taking in deep gulps of air, something wet hit his hand. With great effort he rolled onto his side, still taking air that had never tasted sweeter. Vision blurred, he saw a large shape whipping around wildly. Something smaller seemed to be stuck to the back of the shape. Blinking, he tried to focus but everything felt so heavy and he closed them. Letting darkness come for him once more he felt the rumble of something hitting the ground and then nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

_“Gyro.”_

Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard his name, waiting to see if it came again. The only thing he could feel was the fog still weighing heavily on his body. Something touched his forehead, breaking through the fog as it ran down his cheek. Too cold to ignore, Gyro grumbled and attempted to brush it away. He scrunched his brow as another hit him, turning his face away. 

“Gyro!” 

Sitting up quickly, the fog dissipated to a dull inconvenience as he was thrown into the waking world. Rubbing his eyes, there was no time to think about where he was as drops fell faster onto his head. Jumping up, he covered his head as they started to fall more, running for the safety of the awning. As soon as he was under the familiar wood, the sky seemed to open up. Catching his breath, he straightened up and stretched, freezing as a gruff voice cleared itself behind him. The teen fought back nausea when he whirled around and quickly bowed. The last of sleep was long gone as he tried to focus on not falling to the ground and further embarrassing himself. “I’m sorry, Master D’Jahno!” Gray eyes watched as the water from his hair created dark dots on the wood around his feet. He knew every inch of the dojo, having cleaned all of it at one point or another on more than one occasion. If he was lucky he might get away with just having to scrub the deck. Even if it did wrap around the building that had been his home since he was a child.

“What do you see out there?”

Lifting his head, his forehead scrunched up at the question. The smell of rain was heavy in his nose and the temperature had dropped noticeably. It wasn’t uncomfortable, even in the flimsy gi but a far cry from the warmth he had felt when laying in the sun. He scanned the area, trying to work out the answer. His master rarely asked an obvious one but even as the boy tilted his head back and forth he didn’t think they were looking at the same thing. “The...dojo courtyard getting soaked by the rain?” Waiting for a response, the constant stream of rain was the only thing he heard, hitting the ground and falling heavily against the wood above them. 

Looking over, he was taken aback to find the spot empty. Running to catch up, he fell into step with the old man. 

“Why did you fall asleep in the courtyard, Gyro?” D’Jahno asked.

The boy looked curiously at the broad back as they walked. His master didn’t seem upset with him, he certainly didn’t sound like it and he for sure knew what that sounded like. Then again Gyro wasn’t sure why he would be. The boy had finished his training and chores which meant he was allowed time to himself. “After I finished cleaning I saw that it was a nice day out. I like laying in the courtyard and watching the clouds and the birds go by.” Putting a finger to his chin he thought about it. “There weren’t any clouds out so I guess the warmth of the sun made me sleepy. Oh!” Looking at the pouring rain he frowned. He couldn’t have been out that long. The sky was darker but he could see it was because of the clouds. There was no way his master would let him miss afternoon practice. 

D’Jahno made a noise of affirmation and stopped, the boy scrambling to stop himself. “Something bad is coming, Gyro.”

“Master what are you talking abou-” A rumbling under their feet stopped him. His master didn’t seem to notice or even acknowledge it even as it grew louder and harder. It felt as if the vibrations went through his entire body, leaving a buzzing in his head. Covering his ears, he couldn’t get away from the noise. Behind eyelids, he saw the flash of light followed by a crack of thunder that startled him. “Master?” Cracking an eye open, he reached out to grasp at aged fabric. There was the cracking of wood beneath his feet and the boy stepped back as the deck splintered and ripped apart where he had just been. The old man didn’t move, oblivious to the destruction happening around them. 

Somewhere ahead Gyro watched a beam fall into the flooding yard bringing the roof down inches from his master. Rain immediately took advantage of the new hole and poured in, soaking the deck. Thick strands of water slid down, pooling around D’Jahno’s feet and down over the edge. “I’ve done everything I could, Gyro. I’m sorry to have to put the burden on you.” 

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Gyro demanded, taking a step forward. The cracking of boards was his only warning and he was forced back as more of it felt. Peering over the edge, he watched the boards slip into the darkness that he never knew was hidden beneath his home. There was a flash of light as he looked up, freezing him in his tracks. They seemed to come from the very shadows themselves, figures wearing robes with hoods that obscured their faces and made him think of the very void at his feet. He tried to shout, to warm D’Jahno but the sudden thunder was deafening as if the storm was made just for them. His master didn’t seem to react to them at all, eyes firmly on his protege as the boy backed up. The space between them wasn’t that wide, and his feet left the ground, Gyro reminded himself that he had jumped worse in training. 

Relief flooded him as a foot met the hard surface but it was just as quickly taken away when his foot slipped backward in the water. The sudden shift pushed his body forward and the boy gritted his teeth when pain shot up his left leg as his knee connected with the deck. Pushing himself up, the wood might as well have been made of paper the way it fell apart under him, leaving his bottom half hanging over nothing. Hands clawed at the soaked wood as the boy tried desperately to pull himself up. He reached out, uncertain if it was tears or rain rolling down his cheeks. “Master please, I need your help!” As the wood started to splinter under his arms he could see the figures getting even closer. 

“Be strong, Gyro.” 

Just like that, there was nothing underneath him and for a moment he thought he was floating. Until gravity got its claws in him and he watched helplessly as his master crew further away from him just as one of the figures raised a dagger.

“Master!”

Taking in a deep breath, he sat up quickly sucking in a pained breath before flopping back down and shielding eyes from the burning light. “Gyro? Woah easy big guy you took a bit of a hit.” A hand pressing the damp cloth more firmly against his head. Peering out from under an arm he looked into blue eyes full of more concern than he had ever seen in them before.

“What happened?” He asked, wincing at the hoarse sound that escaped. 

Pike winced and looked away, wringing out the cloth. “You...well you were grabbed by that snake. It gave me the chance to sneak up on it but I didn’t realize how much damage it could do. I almost thought…” he trailed off, fiddling with the damp cloth. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

Someone else cleared their voice. Gray eyes focused on the dwarf as she knelt next to Pike. “We both are,” Meklavar said softly. She stared at the ground, avoiding wide blue eyes that the warrior could feel burning into her. “The middle of a battle wasn’t the appropriate time to...discuss any grievances. We’re a team and we weren’t acting like it.” Gyro wanted to laugh but the pain in his sides gave him pause. 

“I’m glad that the both of you saw that. Wish it hadn’t taken a giant snake attack but,” Gyro cracked a tired smile. “I’ll take what I can get. Where are we?” 

“Not all that far from where we were going to camp.” Valayun piped up. “We managed to chase the beast off but that was all we could do. I doubt it will give up its lair so easily but for the time being, it should be okay.” 

“But not enough for us to be able to stay the night.” Gyro stated.

“We’ve already been out here too long but we needed to heal you as much as possible,” she confirmed, glancing towards the sun half hidden by the trees. “It’s not ideal I know but it’s the best we can manage at the moment.” He took note of how she seemed to be favoring one leg over the other but kept it to himself. Block was leaning heavily on his staff but flashed the paladin a big smile when their eyes met. “-we ran out but we should be able to get what we need from Tarangath. The port city Pike mentioned earlier.” She clarified. 

It had been a long journey since the last major city and he was just as low as the rest of them. His armor was in bad need of repair, even before the attack. Sitting up slowly, the paladin gratefully leaned against Pike, fighting back nausea as he was helped to his feet. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal any of your stuff, just helping you up,” Pike said with a wink.

“I know, I trust you Pike.” Gyro blurted out, forcing the other man to look away, cheeks burning at the sincerity of the words. 

“I..that is...you good to walk?” The paladin threw his companion a look of confusion but the rogue still refused to look at him. Keeping a hand on Pike’s shoulder, Gyro stood up straight, careful not to take too deep of a breath. His sides burned but nothing felt broken. 

“Yeah I’ll be good, Thanks Pike.” The rogue muttered something under his breath and gave a quick pat to a shoulder. Gyro opened his mouth, reaching out to Pike.

“Valayun!” Both of them looked towards the elf who was on the ground, hand clutching her ankle, Block already at her side. 

“I’m alright, it’s just my ankle. I do not believe it’s broken but it may hurt more than I let on,” she said with a strained smile. Seeing the mage about to speak the elf held up a hand. “Don’t even think about it. You use anymore magic and you won’t be able to walk either. I’ll just…” Putting a shaking hand on Block’s shoulder she stood up. “...tough it out.” As soon as she put her foot down it was like walking on fire and she would have fallen if not for the strong arms that caught her. 

“There’s no way you’ll be able to make it that far. Even if you do, it’ll just make the journey that much longer.” Block pointed out as she bit a trembling lip. 

“Here.” Pike walked over to the pair, turning around and bending down slightly. Hands reached behind him toward her. “I have the most energy out of everyone here except maybe Meklavar and there’s no way she can carry you.” The dwarf hmphed but kept her comments to herself. The elf reached out but stopped. Sensing the hesitation he gestured with hands. “This is the fastest way, I’ll be a gentleman, promise,” he said softly. He almost thought she was going to reject his gesture but then soft hands gripped his shoulders and he felt an equally soft body press against him. Carefully lifting her up, he looked back at her. “You good princess?” he teased gently. 

Her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink that was quickly hidden in his shoulder. “Yes, I am fine.” Arms wrapped more securely around his neck. “Thank you Pike,” she muttered. 

“My pleasure princess.” 

“Alright let’s go!” They almost jumped at the brashness of Gyro’s voice. Even the paladin seemed surprised at himself though he covered it up with a short cough. “We’ve got some ground to try and cover as fast as possible. Let’s get to it.” Pike knew it was probably his imagination and that Gyro was just worried about the team and wanted to rest himself. It hadn’t been aimed at him, after all, he was just doing the right thing and helping a fellow teammate. Of course, said teammate was gorgeous and he had wanted to know what it would feel like to be pressed up against her more than once. Even though he could feel her breath against his neck and there wasn’t much he couldn’t feel against his back, especially in that outfit, it didn’t feel as good as he had thought it would. It was probably because he was tired and the battle had been taxing on all of them. His eyes kept drifting towards a certain paladin to make sure he wasn’t going to fall over too, it certainly wasn’t distracting him from the barely awake beauty on his back. He wasn’t more concerned for Gyro, sure the man was hot but there were plenty of them. None of them had ever said they trusted him though. Not that he cared, Gyro probably didn’t mean it and if he did that just proved how gullible he was. People like that were trouble and Pike didn’t need more of that. The snake was already too much but it was going to give him a chance to sleep in a real bed which was a positive. It did not make his chest feel tight every time he noticed Gyro wince. It certainly didn’t cross his mind to drop Valayun and rush to the paladin’s side when he stumbled. They were all relieved to see the large city below them, the lamps slowly winking into existence as the stars started to come out. 

They received curious looks as they entered, though many of them were knowing looks from those with weapons and scars of their own. The sounds and sights of the city went unnoticed, and Pike was fairly certain Valayun had long since fallen asleep, not even lifting her head as the music drifted by and the sounds of laughter echoed with it. The group stumbled into an inn, hanging back from the rowdy patrons while Meklevar secured their rooms. Following the dwarf, Pike gently shook the elf awake as soon as they were in the room. “End of the line princess, we’re here.” 

Helping her down, he finally got to stretch his arms, the pops more than a little audible in the small room. “Sorry about that,” she said sheepishly as he knelt down to slowly remove her boots. Valayun gently touched the swollen ankle. “I appreciate you carrying me all the way here.”

“And you were actually a gentleman, something I didn’t think you were capable of.” Meklavar chimed in as she pulled off her helmet. 

Pike puffed up, ready for a fight but the hand on his shoulder stopped him. Turning he looked up just in time to feel lips press against his forehead before they were gone. “Truly Pike, thank you. I don’t know I would have been able to make it back here without your assistance.”

“Oh yeah, it was nothing. Something anyone would do in my position you know?” He stammered, almost falling over as he attempted to stand up. Catching his balance he laughed and backed up towards the door. “Welp I think it is beyond time for me to turn in. You ladies be good er not that you wouldn’t be but...um oh! Make sure to take care of your foot. We can take care of it first thing in the morning. Well, maybe not me because I don’t have anything but someone will.” He bumped into the door, reaching for the handle. “Anyway good night!” The rogue all but ran out of the room and down the hall, slipping into his own room. Block was already snoring away on one of the beds but Gyro was standing near his own bed, frowning though it disappeared when he noticed Pike. “Hey, big guy you alright?” he asked, pulling his sleeping furs from the pack and starting to arrange them.

“Yeah, I’m fine just getting ready for bed,” Gyro said, standing there awkwardly, watching as each fur was meticulously placed. “Is Valayun doing alright?” he eventually asked. Pike hummed to himself. 

“She definitely needs to stay off her ankle until it can be healed but she’ll be okay for one night. What about you? Need help getting out of that fancy armor of yours?” He asked, putting the last one down. 

Gyro hesitated before lowering his hands to his sides. “Yes actually. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem but after what happened…” The rogue took a step forward and then another, half expecting Gyro to change his mind but neither of them exchanged words even as he stopped inches from the other. Those gray eyes bore into his own, watching him but it didn’t look like the suspicion that the rogue was accustomed to. It was oddly warm if he had to try and put it into words, curious even and it had Pike’s ears twitching. Hands reached up, slim fingers slipping under the spaulders to undo the straps. 

“How could I forget.” Neither of them needed to be reminded of it. Seeing the snake grab the paladin had put Pike’s heart in his stomach. It wasn’t exactly a feeling he needed to think about when his face was far closer to Gyro’s than it had ever been. First one and then the other was gently tossed onto the bed. Gyro pulled off gloves as Pike moved to remove the chest piece. 

“You’re surprisingly good at this.” Gyro blurted out as Pike removed it in record time. 

“Yeah well, I’ve dealt with heavy armor more than a few times in my life.” He held up a coin purse. “And all of you keep your valuables in the same spot.” Tossing the bag to Gyro, he looked over the cracked breastplate. 

“You run into guards a lot, I take it?” 

Pike rolled his eyes and sat the armor down. “I am a thief you know. Of course, I know all about dealing with guards. Snakes apparently not so much.” he muttered.

“You saved my life.”

“You got hurt because of me.” Pike shot back, running a hand through his hair and turning away. “I made a big mistake and you and the other’s got hurt. That’s not valuable, that’s a liability. If this was the Thieves Guild I’d have been left behind or worse.” 

“Well we’re not them and anyone that would throw you away so easily doesn’t see what I do.”

_You don’t even know me. If you did, you wouldn’t be saying these things._ Pike wanted to say the words out loud but he was torn between wanting to know what Gyro would say and not. Instead he let out a big yawn. “This whole thing is super interesting but I think we’re both more than a little overdue on sleep. We’ll get you patched up in the morning and you’ll be back to your usual, overly sappy self.” 

Gyro didn’t try to stop him as Pike crawled into his furs and settled down. The feeling of the soft pile on top of a firm bed was like a heaven he had almost forgotten. He heard Gyro move things around before getting into his own and blowing out the lantern leaving them in darkness. Pike laid listening to his friend’s sleep, wondering why Gyro’s words made his heart skip a beat more than Valayun’s kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A certain shady trio shows up next to help move the plot along.


End file.
